Remarks on Religious Policy during Renovation
After the summit conference with the Chinese
leadership at Zanto in 1990, leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam adopted
a policy of what it lazier called market economy with socialist orientation.” Having
achieved full trade relations and diplomatic with the United States in 1995,
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam under
relatively impressive economic reforms, allowing the citizen to operate
small businesses, to enter joint ventures, and to own property. Nevertheless,
the totalitarian sill held to monopoly of power, tightening control on
political and social activities and banning religious activities in any form. Intolerance
of political rights and religious faiths were pervasive. The law provided some
forms of legal formality of the State and Church but subjected its clergy to
obtain prior authorization to all forms of religious activities.
Mgrs. Huynh Van Nghi, the then Apostolic
Administrator of Saigon Archdiocese, diffused a text entitled “The Mission of
Evangelization” Today, in August 1995. In it, the prelate treated with
frankness the problems that discompose the actual Vietnamese society. He
stressed among other things, the difficulties that engage the Christians to fight.
He particularly affirmed the fact that we have to proclaim the spirit of
evangelical values and to encourage their realizations is that we wish to
denunciate and condemn the negative aspects that are pervasive in our society
such as injustice, discrimination, violence, oppression, division, peculation,
dictatorship, exploitation, smuggling, poverty, illiteracy, epidemics, and the
war in Cambodia}. We have to denunciate the inadequacies of the law, with all
erroneous dispositions that constitute and subtract them from it. If we want righteousness to be honored, we
must eradicate evils. It is in this front that we ought to express and exercise
the prophetic mission of the Church and of the Christians. It is also in this
domain of faith that the Church may be spared from running into disagreement,
opposition, and, likely, persecutions of the demented in power. Prudent but
resolute, the Church, as the missionaries have proven devotion to their
mission, ought to fulfill her mission with courage.
It is clear that, in the actual situation of the
country, the Church has a very great role to play, that is, facing the
situations of exclusion and lack of significance of the moral life. It could
not actually do it, given the situation in which it is living now. But the term
“faith in belief,” the knowledge in the trials the Catholics are experiencing
is truly real and capital. In the same way, the worry of a formation of
priority for those who engage in the service of the Church, with the conscience
to catch up the time that is lost, is the guarantee of serious certainty with
which the Church would prepare itself to respond to the appeals of the poor. The
study of catechism for adults is already developed in the South, especially with
the highlanders. In the North, it is not the case, but, it is certain that the
Catholics enjoy a favorite priority in the population. The Bible will be a
mobile force and a source of inspirations for living a spiritual and moral life
for many workers. Have they been prepared
for it in the coming future?
Nguyen Hong Giao also had this to say concerning the
religious policy at the time of renovation:
“The project of political report of the Eighth Congress
of 1996 mentioned twice the term “religion” in the paragraph concerning the
union of all elements and all organizations of the society with an eye to the
common task. There are only, in reality, simple mentions of the term. There is
no word to evaluate the role and contribution of religions in the interior of
the society and the building of the fatherland. It is, without doubt, a
deficiency. Owing to the policy of renovation, religious activities meet with
less and less difficulties. However, the reports of our fellow believers still
do not consider it satisfactorily.
In my opinion, it would seem that the Party would
have considered religion as an ensemble of rites. Thus, it gives itself relative
liberty in defining terms as regards the activities of cult such as prayers, ceremonies
and other teams is associated with them. The Party and State prove to be afraid
and fight in defiance. Or, for a believer and, in particular, for a Catholic,
faith implies the whole life conduct for charity and service for the neighbor. In
the domains of education, aid the service to the neighbor, and in terms of
social morale, I think that religions could bring a more important and
efficacious contribution, if they are accorded more support and reliance. But,
if in a certain number of cases, Doubs is preempted and we try not to extend
our influence and enter into competition with whoever it may be, we will follow
another plan other than that. Mistrust only discourages people and organizations
that are desirous to contribute to the service for the people.
I also have the impression that the Party has not
truly modified its concept of religion. It seems nothing has changed. Religion
is a social reality, real need, and a part of the life of the population. If it
is recognized as such, and if it is not accorded any power; it only lasts one
day. It will not subsist any longer. Many personalities of religion world think
that religions are only tolerated if their principles are in line with the
official concepts of the Party and State; otherwise it is bound to forced death.
If I am not mistaken, there is no religious organization, under the authority
of the law, is considered to be a moral person.
In my opinion, because of this vision of things, the
religious policy, in general, only aims at settling concrete simple problems
and seek to face them with measures rather than taking initiatives to solve
difficulties. Such a policy could not come to the end of the solution to solve
problems, and, thus, even if the authorities manifest their attitude with will,
they will not successfully come to terms with the religions.
We wish,
then, the Party and the government apply the policy of renovation in a more
profound manner. It is hoped that they will be content to recognize the genuine
existence of believers who are also people of value. It is, then, this policy
will be able to veritably some to terms with the religions and help the
believers to engage in the common tasks with all other elements of the
population to maintain national order and preserve national unity.” (Nguyen
Hong Jiao, EDA 277, September 1996)
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